Bring Your Android Application to the Masses

Apps and mobile marketing are the cutting edge of digital marketing right now as the smartphone revolution shows no sign of slowing down. However, like most technological platforms, it’s vital that you understand how to market it if your app is to have any success.

The Android platform is rich and diverse, ranging over multiple mobile devices and OS versions. Hence, your android app marketing strategy has to be such that it is appealing to the potential customer and always keeps them engaged with your app. Creating a new app and expecting the dough to roll in, has become quite the unlikely scenario. There are roughly 5,000 new apps in the Android market monthly. The Android market is growing steadily. Although this can signal more potential buyers, keep in mind this also means more competitors. There a few factors that should be at the forefront of all android marketing endeavours.

The very first thing you should do is sit down and work on a marketing plan. You don’t have to have an MBA to create this document. Basically just write out your initial ideas and strategies that you plan to implement to drive clients to your Android App. It doesn’t matter how great your app is, if no one can find it then no one will buy it! This process typically involves researching what competitors are doing and developing methods that will help set you apart.

Stand out from the crowd: Have a bold icon. Engage your customer with a catchy name and snazzy tagline. Put the time and effort into your product description. Use relevant keywords that will make your app easy to find.

Make sure that the app name that you decide on is used in the description of the app as well as in associated keywords. This will help your app be found in the mobile stores. If you have no idea what description, keywords, or names to use then I would highly recommend doing some research. Peruse your competition in the App Stores (iPhone, Android and Blackberry) to see what everyone else is doing. Use these as a basic guidelines and then demonstrate why your app is better than all your competitors with your awesome copywriting abilities.

Consider price: The most important factor. The average price of an app on the Android Market is $4.10 compared to $3.37 on the iTunes App Store.

The Pre-launch: Once you have your name and keywords down solid, it is time to move on to your Pre-Launch. If you don’t know what a pre-launch is, now you can say you learned something today. A pre-launch is basically the marketing that you do prior to actually releasing your app. You will have to decide on a few techniques to help build buzz about your upcoming mobile app release. This can be done by submitting press releases, building a blog, creating a social media presence etc. The only limit is your creativity and ability to grab people’s attention.

Release the Kraken: You have built a good amount of buzz and people are dying to download your app. Launch day is finally here and your mobile app is being purchased. So what do you do now? I’m sorry to say, but this is only the beginning, my friend. It is now time to focus on improving your mobile app. Engage with people who purchase your app. Ask for feedback from them through your social media platforms or in your auto-generated thank you message. A personal interaction with the users will create a bond of trust and confidence between you and your users.

Another important step is to submit your app to credible mobile app review websites. If you get a good review and get a lot of reviews, these sites can generate a huge wave of new customers.

The Aftermath: Your product is live and you have received some great feedback and reviews from customers and industry experts. You have taken the time to make the improvements and tweaks you need and there is a steady flow of new purchases. Your job is done, right? Unfortunately there is no rest for the mobile app marketer. Now that your product has been on the market for a few months you should have your blog going pretty well, and there should be a good amount of user-generated content. What you do now is make sure your app store listing is fully optimized, you continue to submit your app for review and inclusion in popular blogs, create user videos to show tips and tricks on how to use your mobile app, as well as constantly engaging with your client base.

With a lot of work, and a little luck, you can build a massively successful mobile app that will drive your business forward.